Outside The Chute

Episode 88 - Don Tricker

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with former coach of the New Zealand Black Sox and current Director of Player Health and Performance for the San Diego Padres, Don Tricker.
Don has had a big impact on the game of softball.  He would play for the Black Sox from 1986 to 1991 and would go on to be named the head coach in 1998.  Don was instrumental in changing the culture of the New Zealand program and it payed off as the Black Sox would win the World Championship in 2000 and 2004 under his tutelage.  Today, Don finds himself in the Baseball world as he is working with the San Diego Padres as previously mentioned.
We’re gonna talk to him about not only getting his start in the game, but how his grandfather was one of the pioneers in bringing the game to New Zealand, some great stories from his time with the Black Sox and, of course, how he ended up in the biggest baseball league on the planet with San Diego.
Don was such a pleasure to chat with, it was so awesome hearing all his great stories from the game.  Trust me when I say this one is a can’t miss.

Episode 87 - Nicole Mendes

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with 2021 Olympian, 2 time National Champion and Oklahoma Sooners alum, Nicole Mendes.
Nicole has had a spectacular career to date, as just mentioned she has won two Women’s College World Series, named to the 2017, 2019 and 2021 WCWS All Tournament Team, was the 2017 All-Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and most recently competed with Team Mexico at the 2021 Olympics.
We’re gonna talk to Nicole about getting her start in the game, the decision to attend Oklahoma, what it was like playing in that atmosphere at the WCWS, plus we also got the inside scoop on her recent announcement that she’s playing in Athlete’s Unlimited this upcoming summer.
Nicole was an absolute treat to chat with and I’m very excited to see what the future holds for her.  Trust me when I say this one is a good one!

Episode 86 - Ward Gosse

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with Softball Newfoundland Hall of Famer, Ward Gosse.
Ward has had a spectacular career in the game which has spanned over 4 decades.  Wardo has been named an All Canadian 3 times, was a part of Newfoundland’s first Senior National Championship in 2012, named to the 2006 ISC All World Team and, of course, inducted into the Softball Newfoundland Hall of Fame back in 2014.
We’re gonna talk to Ward about getting his start in the game where he grew up in Bay Roberts, what it was like playing in his first Senior Nationals and ISC’s, his amazing stats and records he holds in the St John’s Senior Fastpitch League and much, much more.
Wardo was a treat to chat with and you’ll find out why he’s regarded as one of the good guys in our great game.

Episode 85 - Jayden Heavener

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with Virginia Unity and Pace High School star, as well as, the #1 overall ranked player for the class of 2024 by Extra Innings Softball, Florida native, Jayden Heavener.
 Jayden has burst upon the scene in the last couple season’s and is now one of the most sought after recruits in the nation.  Last season as a Freshman at Pace High School, she went 11-3 with 252 strikeouts in 105 innings pitched and a 1.42 ERA, good enough for her to be named the Florida 5A Pitcher of the Year. 
In September she was named the #1 overall player by Extra Innings for her 2024 class, a recognition that’s been held by the likes of Megan Faraimo and Jordy Bahl to name a few.
We’re gonna talk to Jayden about all of this, along with her love for cross fit, scary movies and much more.
Jayden was an absolute treat to chat with and we’re so excited to see what the future has in store for this amazing individual.

Episode 84 - Giselle ”G” Juarez

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with Oklahoma Sooners alum and the reigning WCWS Most Outstanding Player, Giselle "G" Juarez.
G had a fantastic college career, getting her start with Arizona State where she would be named a first team NFCA All-American before transferring to Oklahoma.  With the Sooner’s G would go 53-6, with a 1.74 ERA and 437 strikeouts.  She would be named a NFCA First Team All-American in 2019, as well as the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.  Last season is where G definitely left her mark in Sooner history as she went a perfect 5-0 at the Women’s College World Series, leading Oklahoma to their 5th National Title.
We’re gonna talk to G about getting her start in the game, the role her Dad played helping in her development, the transfer from Arizona State to Oklahoma, of course, last year’s amazing title run and much, much more.
G was an absolute pleasure to chat with and I was so happy I was able to sit down, talk about her career, talk about what she has on the go now and talk about her wedding planning with her.  I wish G nothing but the best moving forward.

Episode 83 - Sean O’Brien

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with 3 time ISC Champion and ISC Hall of Famer, Sean O’Brien.
OB had an absolute fantastic playing career, as he was a monster not only at the plate, but behind the dish as well.  As just mentioned he is a 3 time ISC Champion, 5 time Canadian Senior Men’s Champion, 5 Time ISC All World Selection and represented Canada internationally from 2000 to 2010.
We’re gonna talk to OB about getting his start in the game over in Newfoundland, his time on the ISC circuit, representing the country at the international level, being inducted into the ISC Hall of Fame and much, much more.
OB was an absolute beauty to chat with, Hopey and I were pumped we got the opportunity to chat with such a great player from our game and even better person.  A lot of laughs were shared in this episode, trust me, you’re gonna like this one.

Episode 82 - Sarah Pauly

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with University of Texas A&M Corpus Christi alum and the All Time Career Wins leader in National Pro Fastpitch League history, Sarah Pauly.
Sarah has had an absolute amazing career.  She set every conceivable pitching record in Texas A&M Corpus Christi school history during her 4 years there, while also becoming an All-American.  From there she went on to an incredible pro career that saw her win two league championships, be named to 8 All-Pro NPF Teams, winner of the 2006 Most Outstanding Pitcher award and as mentioned earlier, she went on to win the most games in NPF history.  Sarah also went on to play overseas in Japan, Italy, New Zealand and Australia where she would also see great success.
Sarah and her dad, Rick, who is a former great Men’s Fastpitch player that played for the Farm, based out of Wisconsin, currently run Pauly Girl Fastpitch High Performance Pitching, where they run clinics all over the US. You can check them out at paulygirlfastpitch.com
We’re gonna talk to Sarah about getting her start in the game, the journey to Texas A&M Corpus Christi, all of her travel stories from her years of playing pro, and of course, Pauly Girl Fastpitch.
Sarah was such a pleasure to sit down and chat with and it was awesome to hear about her journey in our great game.

Episode 81 - Matt Palazzo

Outside The Chute sat down and chatted with 2 time ISC World Champ and US Men’s National Team member, Matt Palazzo.
Matty has had a stellar career to date as he is a 2 time ISC All World selection, 9 time ASA All American, as mentioned earlier, a 2 time ISC World Champ with the New York Gremlins and a Pan Am Games Silver medalist in 2019 with the US Men’s National Team.
We’re gonna talk to Matty about growing up watching his Dad play Fastpitch in Iowa, making that transition from Baseball to Fastpitch, , his first impressions of the ISC circuit, of course, being named to the US National Team and much, much more.
Matt was an absolute pleasure to chat with and we shared a lot of laughs in this episode.  Definitely one of the good guys in this game.